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International Organization of MLC:
Region of North America, Asia
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March 2009
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I will give you a new heart and put a new
spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart
of flesh. (Ezekiel 36: 26)
Dear friends,
My community, Our Lady of the Round Table,
is continuing the Lenten journey with the 40 Days Project. Letters from sisters
and brothers in the poorest countries of the world have educated and challenged
us. We are learning about life in countries we barely knew existed. Our hearts ache
daily at the injustices, the poverty, and the horrors of violence. We wonder
what steps to take. And, we pray.
Hearts of flesh are made to expand, to
embrace the needs and sorrows of others. The growing pains of expansion can be
painful and overwhelming!
Yet, hearts of flesh also embrace the hopes and
visions of others. Many of the 40 Days letters are written by young adults.
They have experienced, studied and pondered their local reality. And, they are
eager to share their ideas for practical solutions. They remind us that hopes
and visions need the hands and hearts of many to succeed.
The heart is central to our Marianist spirituality.May we never fear the
challenges of an ever expanding heart of flesh- a heart always open to respond
to God's call with a "Yes" modeled on the faith and courage of Mary.
Here are the links to Forty Days with the Last Forty:
English Fran�ais
Lenten blessings and Easter joys to you and your communities. Affectionately,
Isabella Moyer
Regional Responsible
North America, Asia,
Ireland and Australia
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Lent Retreat in the Philippines
by Johneleen Lardera
MLC National Responsible
The
Marianist Lay Community of Davao, Philippines had a two day Lenten recollection at Marianist
House in Eden, Toril last March 21-22, 2009. It was a great time for the group
to listen, reflect and repent for total transformation as we prepare
ourselves for the main celebration, "Easter". This photo was taken after
our Lenten recollection with Fr. Pablo, SM and Bro. Oscar, SM.
The
group went home with a great smile on our faces, showing and reminding
that there's always hope because GOD is always there for us!
(Editor's note: Johneleen will be attending the 5th International Meeting of MLC in Nairobi this summer. You can 'meet' Johneleen on our online Participants Directory.)
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Harvest Women's Retreat
By Marceta Reilly
Back: Doris Foster, Belinda Flynn, Regina Butts, Beth Williams, Hedy Lack, Susan
Nelson , Joann Walker, ElsieBeam,
Mildred Eisenbarth, Kathy Devlin
Front: Chris Suriano, Monica Matson, Joanne
McCracken, Vicky Barr, Sandy Shandy, Mary Ellen DeCicco. Photo taken by Marceta Reilly
On February 27-28, 2009, seventeen women
gathered at the home of Marceta Reilly, in Hoyt, Kansas,
to participate in the Harvest Women's Retreat for 2009. The Harvest Women MLC is comprised mostly of
women in rural northeastern Kansas. They meet by phone monthly to discuss
spiritual books and encourage each other's spiritual development. Their mission is to support & enhance the
spiritual growth of women. Retreat leaders were Joanne McCracken, who
is a member of the Harvest Women, and Chris Suriano, both of whom are from New Jersey. Joanne and Chris are experienced retreat
facilitators from the May Point Retreat House at Cape May, NJ.
 The theme of this retreat was Be a
Feather. Women learned to turn their
rocks of sin and guilt into feathers for the breath of God. It was a spiritually regenerative experience
for everyone who participated.
Marceta Reilly
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5th International Meeting Online
Communications are traveling around the world, and registrations are beginning to come in for our 5th International Meeting of MLC in Nairobi this summer. Our web-site at www.clm-mlc.org has new pages for the 5IM. DISCUSSION BOARD: Messages, questions, discussions about the 5IM. Boards are available in English, French and Spanish. COMMUNICATIONS: Communications, Forms, Meeting Agenda DOCUMENT: All work on the document " Marianist Lay Communities in the Church and in the World" will be posted here, along with instructions for an online survey from the writing team in Spain. (To be posted soon.) NEWS: Updates and information before and during the meeting PARTICIPANTS: Photographs and email contacts of Participants. (Please send photos to webmaster@clm-mlc.org. Email addresses will not be included if requested.)
5� Encuentro Internacional
de las Comunidades Laicas Marianistas |
Support Nairobi 2009
The 5th
International Meeting of Marianist Lay Communities will be held August 1-7, 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya. Approximately 50
delegates from 29 countries will be invited to attend along with guests and observers.A Scholarship Fund for Delegates has been started for delegates who require aid for travel and/or registration costs.
Please consider making a National, Local, Community, or Individual donation to this fund.
DONATION UPDATE (March 2009)
Letters were sent this past month, on behalf of the International Organization, to various Marianist units around the world. The International Team has already received several responses with pledges towards delegate travel and registration costs. The generosity within our Marianist Family inspires and motivates us as a concrete sign of support for our international efforts, especially in this time of economic hardship. We remain united in prayer and hope! A list of all donors and sponsors will be made available at the time of our Meeting.
ONLINE DONATIONS NOW AVAILABLE! 
Thanks to the MLNNA (Marianist Lay Network of North America), online donations to the International Organization of MLC may be made through their Network for Good account. In the PROGRAM DESIGNATION box, click "International Organization". In the DEDICATION box, you may specify if you want the donation to go to the general International Organization of MLC fund, or the Scholarship Fund for Delegates. International donations are accepted. All donations are in US Dollars.
CHECK OR MONEY ORDER DONATIONS
Cheques and Money Orders in US Dollars can now be made out to
"International Organization of Marianist Lay Communities"
and mailed to:
Isabella R. Moyer
Box 395
Neepawa, MB
R0J 1H0
CANADA
FREQUENT FLYER/AIRMILES DONATIONS
Are
you a frequent traveller and would like to donate airmiles for
delegate travel? Please contact NACMS intern, Ben Dougherty at bdougherty63141@yahoo.com.
Thank
you for your generosity, we will keep you up to date concerning the progress of
the fund.
Tony Garascia, MLC
President
International
Organization
of
Marianist Lay Communities
Isabella
Moyer, MLC
Regional Responsible
North America,Asia,
Ireland, and Australia
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April Feast Days
George J. Cerniglia,
SM (Assistant for Religious Life, US Province) offers a reflection for Holy
Week and Easter:
The great fifty
days are not an unwelcome, unrealistic obligation to "party on," even if we don't feel like
it, but an invitation to explore more deeply "the weather of the heart," to look more
closely at all the rich and varied textures of creation. In short, it is a
season for learning how to
say yes in a culture that wants to keep saying no.
Click here to read the full reflection.
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Pontifical Council for the Laity
Woman's Section
The Woman's Section of the Pontifical Council for the Laity is promoting continued dialogue on the nature and role of women following the February 2008 Congress, "Woman and Man - Humanum in its Entirety". Here is a list of the latest online articles.
March - April 2009
I. Editorial:
Il Sinodo sulla Parola di Dio
Synod on the Word of God
El S�nodo sobre la Palabra de Dios
II. Articles
Philosophy
The New Global Ethics. Challenger for the
Church. (Margherite A. Peteers) [English]
Theology
La misericordia, cammino di riconciliazione con Dio, con noi stessi e con gli
altri in Santa Faustina Kowalska. (R. Figueroa) [Italiano]
Society and culture
Simone Weil and
Baptism. (Eric O. Springsted) [English]
Biblia
San Paolo e le donne.
(Elena Bossetti SJBP) [Italiano]
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Via Latina 22 Online
The March issue of Via
Latina has several articles with a social justice focus, including an article on the CANA Project sponsored by the Marianist
family in Brazil. Bro. Domingo Fuentes, SM (Assessor to the MLC International Team) is the President of this inspiring project. 
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Flooding in Manitoba and North Dakota
by Isabella Moyer
(photo taken from www.cbc.ca)
The Red River valley, extending from North Dakota to Manitoba,
is flat prairie land prone to flooding in the spring. The problem arises
when we have an early freeze in the fall and moisture cannot seep into the
ground. The more rain and snow we have, the more problems we have during the spring thaw.
After a long winter of extreme colds, another storm has brought more snow and freezing rain in the last three days. Ice on the river hasn't had a chance to melt. The river is
cresting with ice jams blocking the flow causing run-offs and flooding. North Dakota has already been declared a federal disaster zone by President Obama, and several communities in Manitoba are in a state of emergency as the Red River continues to rise.
Please join us in praying for all those working to protect their neighbours and communities, and that favorable conditions will lessen the severity of the flooding.
For more information, maps, and photos, go to CBC Manitoba Flood 2009.
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Past issues of Gifts and Tasks are now archived online at GIFTS AND TASKS ARCHIVE
Gifts and
Tasks is published on the last Friday of each month. We need local and national
news, stories, reflections, and photos. Please send submissions and ideas for next
month's issue to moyerfam@mts.net
by the previous Sunday.
And kindly
forward this issue to contact persons within your country to help with its
distribution. If anyone would like to be added to the subscription list, please
send email addresses to moyerfam@mts.net. Thank you!
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